Wherever we go, marketing is all around us. Sport events are no exception. Sport events have during the last years become a platform and a communication tool for marketing companies. The major reason for the increasing attraction of sport games is because of its’ enormously attraction of audience. A company that uses sport games in order to market itself is usually a sponsor for a sport association or team. A sponsoring company is provided with the opportunity to associate itself with a team and/or a game. Sponsoring and non-sponsoring companies utilize the amount of audience to reach as many customers as possible. The sponsoring companies need to pay a sponsorship fee. The non-sponsoring companies free ride at the expense of the sponsors, by not paying any fees. The ambushing companies aim, is to draw the consumers’ attention away from the sponsors and onto themselves. The purpose of this research is to study the consumers’ acceptance regarding marketing from non-sponsoring companies in sport games. It is interesting to study a consumer perspective of ambush marketing since the research field is not very explored. A qualitative study with quantitative elements has been used in order to capture the consumers’ opinions. The method used resulted in comprehensive findings. The results show distinct differences within the quantitative and the qualitative findings. The conclusion of this research is that consumers somehow accept the free riding strategy. Consumers believe that they do not lack knowledge regarding sponsoring companies. However, the consumers may lack knowledge concerning the harm ambush marketing causes the sponsoring companies.

Background: Globalisation is changing the world and our daily lives are governed by products and images originating from other countries and other cultures. Globalisation influences consumer culture and different authors have argued for the emergence of global consumer culture. However, previous literature de-emphasizes what consumer beliefs about the global consumer culture are and how people who believe that they are global try to construct themselves as global in terms of consumption. What are their motives of being global and what kind of needs and wants do they cover by being global consumers? Purpose: To explore and illustrate how consumers try to construct their global selves through consumption. Method: An abductive, qualitative research approach with a combination of exploratory and descriptive research design was chosen. Primary data collection through semi-structured in-depth interviews was conducted among 15 respondents who tried to construct their global selves through consumption. These consumers were selected through a non-probability sampling and interviews took place in Jönköping, Sweden. Conclusion: Consumers try to construct their global selves in a variety of ways, the most common ones are through travelling and engaging in cultural experiences, consuming products from specific countries for certain reasons, and by observing the market as one whole global market, thus not limiting themselves into the boundaries of specific countries, regions or continents. This consumption is then grounded on myths and beliefs that they have accumulated about global consumer culture while gaining experience in different parts of the world. These myths and beliefs are however based on their perceptions towards global consumer culture, not objective reality per se.

This thesis has examined the effectiveness of the administration of the Indiana Uniform Consumer Credit Code by the Indiana Department of Financial Institutions. The overall effectiveness was analyzed in terms of three broad criteria: (1) the ability of the regulatory provisions of the law to be correctly interpreted and applied; (2) the prospective ability of the enforcement mechanisms of the law to halt, restrain, redress the effect of, and deter violations; and (3) the willingness of the administrative agency to efficiently and effectively utilize the administrative powers and perform the administrative duties delegated to it. Each was scrutinized independently in preparing the findings for and deriving the conclusions from this study.The writer found that the Code was extremely complex and difficult to interpret; that the enforcement mechanisms were far from ideal; and that the Department generally failed to compensate for these weaknesses as shown by the unaggressive utilization of its administrative powers and the complete failure to carry out certain of its administrative duties.

DARBO SANTRAUKA Nors lauko reklama, laikoma viena seniausių reklamos skleidimo būdų, tačiau Lietuvoje, sparčiai ėmė plėtotis, tik pastarąjį dešimtmetį. Iki 1994 metų, kai susikūrė pirmosios lauko reklamos įmonės, šioje srityje verslu užsiėmė tik pavieniai, privatūs asmenys, dažnai net nelegaliai. Tik per pastarąjį dešimtį metų visuomenė ir valstybinės struktūros šiam verslui ėmė skirti daugiau dėmesio. Taigi suvokiant šios gana naujos ekonomikos šakos svarbą ir naudą buvo pasirinkta, nagrinėti lauko reklamos poveikį vartotojų poreikių suvokimui. Suvokimas yra labai subjektyvus. Daugelio žmonių suvokimas apie ta patį dalyką gali skirtis, dėl to, kad ir patys žmonės yra skirtingi. Kiekvienas vartotojas gaudamas reklaminę žinutę interpretuoja ir ją suvokia remdamasis asmeninėmis charakteristikomis, vidiniais bei išoriniais veiksniais. Darbo objektas – lauko reklama ir vartotojų poreikiai. Darbo tikslas – teoriškai pagrįsti ir empiriškai patikrinti lauko reklamos poveikį vartotojų poreikių suvokimui. Darbo uždaviniai: 1. Išanalizuoti poreikių suvokimą vartotojų elgsenoje; 2. Teoriniu lygmeniu išanalizuoti ir apibendrinti vartotojų poreikių suvokimą; 3. Pagrįsti reklamos poveikį vartotojams; 4. Išanalizuoti ir apibendrinti lauko reklamos konceptualiąją esmę; 5. Parengti lauko reklamos poveikio vartotojų poreikių suvokimui tyrimo metodologiją; 6. Remiantis apibendrintomis metodologinėmis nuostatomis, atlikti lauko reklamos poveikio vartotojų poreikių suvokimui; 7. Atlikus empirinį... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / SUMMARY Although outdoor advertisement is considered to be as one of the oldest ways of advertising, however, in Lithuania its rapid development can only be observed only in the last decade. Only separate private entities (mostly illegal) were working in this business untill 1994, when the first outdoor advertisement companies were established. It was only the last decade when the society and public institutions paid more attention to this business. Thus, considering the importance and benefits of this this rather new field of business, the impact of outdoor advertisement on the perception of consumer needs has been selected as the object of analysis. The concept of perception is very subjective. The perception of the same object of majority of people may differ due to the reason that people themselves are different. Every consumer has his/her own interpretation of a message and the perception is based on individual characteristics, internal and external factors. Research Object– outdoor advertisement and consumer needs. Research Goal – theoretical basis and empirical verification of outdoor advertisement impact on the perception of consumer neeeds. Research Tasks: 1. Analysis of the perception of consumer needs in their behaviour; 2. Analysis and summary of the perception of consumer needs at theoretical level; 3. Reasoning of advertisement impact on consumers; 4. Analysis and summary of the conceptual essence of outdoor advertisement; 5. Preparation of research methodology... [to full text]

Over the past two decades, South Africa has introduced several laws regulating business and providing protection to consumers. These include the Competition Act (89 of 1998), the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act (25 of 2002), the National Credit Act (34 of 2005), and the Consumer Protection Act (68 of 2008) (CPA). The CPA was implemented to conform to international best practice regarding consumer law, to replace the existing but outdated laws, and most importantly, to provide protection to vulnerable consumers (Department of Trade and Industry, 2004:14; Rampersad & Reddy, 2012:7407). The importance of protecting vulnerable consumers can be attributed to South Africa’s history of discrimination and excluding the majority of the population from quality education and equal opportunities in the marketplace (Rampersad & Reddy, 2012:7407). However, the CPA is of small value to consumers if it is not generally known and applied; thus, consumers will continue to be at the mercy of retailers who very often do not have their best interests at heart. Therefore, this study was undertaken to measure the awareness and knowledge of the CPA among retailers. The research was done among small independent retailers located in shopping malls in the Vaal Triangle, South Africa. The study followed a quantitative approach, using a self-administered questionnaire to obtain a single cross-sectional sample. From the data gathered, it is clear that most of the participants considered themselves well informed regarding consumer rights; 88 present of the participants indicated that they are familiar with the nine consumer rights contained in the CPA. However, this stands in stark contrast to the results obtained in the section measuring the actual knowledge of the CPA; only 49 present of the participants managed to answer more than half of the questions correctly, and none answered more than 70 present correctly. In addition, the participants seemed to score higher on those rights that existed before the CPA came into effect, and lower on the new rights introduced by the Act. This seems to indicate that retailers are not yet familiar with the Act; it is, therefore, unlikely that they do business in a manner that complies with the CPA, which robs consumers of the benefit and protection of the Act. Of the retailers who participated in this study, 72 present said they believe the CPA is necessary to protect consumers. This would seem to indicate that it is the lack of knowledge rather that real resistance to the Act which is standing in the way of wider compliance. Therefore, steps should be taken with utmost urgency to educate and increase awareness of the Act, both among retailers and consumers. / MCom (Marketing Management), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2014

Thesis (M. Consumer Science)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

A consumer research panel is a representative collection of individuals whose consumption habits are continually monitored by a marketing research company. It is designed to study the behaviour rather than the attitudes of consumers in the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector. The analysed and interpreted reports help the retailer and manufacturing clients to better understand their markets and the changing dynamics within markets which are largely overseen by retail studies. It is shown that consumer research panels have a very high per panellist cost due to the nature of the data collection methodologies currently used being either very labour-intensive with the in-home interviewer visits, or due to the cost of the technology needed when using an in-home audit terminal to scan the barcode of items. The ubiquitous use of the mobile phone begs the question whether this technology, already in the hands of people, could be used as a data collection device. In 2007, Robert Adelmann demonstrated that it is possible to recognise linear barcodes using a mobile phone equipped with a camera and a barcode recognition algorithm. Three requirements are set for a mobile phone to be used as a data collection device in a consumer panel and are indicated by various studies researching each, focused on Gauteng, South Africa. The technology is shown to be quick and accurate enough to be used in everyday barcode scanning albeit not very prevalent among the responding sample. The data communication infrastructure needed to communicate the audited data was found to be 100% present although few of the respondents displayed their interest in joining a research panel based on mobile phones. It is, therefore, recommended that a phone-based consumer panel be used to supplement existing consumer panels to extend in hard-to-reach demographics like the upper-LSM households, and that the privacy and usage concerns raised by the respondents be addressed. It is also recommended that similar studies be conducted in developed economies where required mobile phone technology could be more prevalent. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010.

A consumer research panel is a representative collection of individuals whose consumption habits are continually monitored by a marketing research company. It is designed to study the behaviour rather than the attitudes of consumers in the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector. The analysed and interpreted reports help the retailer and manufacturing clients to better understand their markets and the changing dynamics within markets which are largely overseen by retail studies. It is shown that consumer research panels have a very high per panellist cost due to the nature of the data collection methodologies currently used being either very labour-intensive with the in-home interviewer visits, or due to the cost of the technology needed when using an in-home audit terminal to scan the barcode of items. The ubiquitous use of the mobile phone begs the question whether this technology, already in the hands of people, could be used as a data collection device. In 2007, Robert Adelmann demonstrated that it is possible to recognise linear barcodes using a mobile phone equipped with a camera and a barcode recognition algorithm. Three requirements are set for a mobile phone to be used as a data collection device in a consumer panel and are indicated by various studies researching each, focused on Gauteng, South Africa. The technology is shown to be quick and accurate enough to be used in everyday barcode scanning albeit not very prevalent among the responding sample. The data communication infrastructure needed to communicate the audited data was found to be 100% present although few of the respondents displayed their interest in joining a research panel based on mobile phones. It is, therefore, recommended that a phone-based consumer panel be used to supplement existing consumer panels to extend in hard-to-reach demographics like the upper-LSM households, and that the privacy and usage concerns raised by the respondents be addressed. It is also recommended that similar studies be conducted in developed economies where required mobile phone technology could be more prevalent. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010.

Thesis (M. Consumer Science)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

Darbe teoriniu lygmeniu išanalizuoti ir apibendrinti sprendimai, ugdantys vartotojų lojalumą, parengtas vartotojų lojalumo ugdymo struktūrinis modelis ir jis empiriškai patikrintas „Zara“ prekės ženklo pavyzdžiu. Pirmoje darbo dalyje atskleista vartotojų lojalumo konceptualioji esmė, išanalizuoti ir apibendrinti sprendimai, ugdantys vartotojų lojalumą bei pagrįstos vartotojų demografinių charakteristikų ir lojalumo sąsajos. Antroje darbo dalyje atlikta vartotojų lojalumo ugdymo teorinių modelių analizė. Remiantis teorinių tyrimų rezultatais, parengtas vartotojų lojalumo ugdymo struktūrinis modelis. Parengta vartotojų lojalumo ugdymo tyrimo metodika. Trečioje darbo dalyje atliktas vartotojų lojalumo ugdymo empirinis tyrimas ir apibendrinti jo rezultatai. Remiantis tyrimo rezultatais, empiriškai patikrintas vartotojų lojalumo ugdymo struktūrinis modelis. / The results of the theoretic and empiric research showed that brand and relationship marketing develops satisfaction and satisfaction creates consumer loyalty. The final work for Master consists of three parts. The first part reveals the conceptual nature of consumer loyalty. Also it consists of analyze and summary of consumer loyalty development decisions. The second part presents and analyzes the theoretical model of consumer loyalty development decisions. And based on results of the theoretical research the structured model of consumer loyalty development is presented. The third part consists analysis of results of empirical study and validation of theoretical model of consumer loyalty development decisions.